Pallet



Patented Dec. 9, 1952 UNI-TE, ST

ENT OIF FI PALLET porationk of Sweden Application ,July 8, 1948Serial N0.,37`,548

InSweden July, 1947 Claims:V l..V

The present invention relates to a so-called pallet orload cradle of wood, particularly intended to loe-used for storage and-transport of goods by so-called fork trucks. Such pallets consist of 'an upperloadtable and a lower support table, both made-of"boards -and `distance blocks cr bars arrangedsbetween'saidtables and attached to the boards 'by'means of nails, As the -total thickness of ith'eassembledfwood parts is relatively'great, there-may arise-diiiiculties inY nailing them togetherypartly because'theclinched ends of the nails will `easily project and can then cause damagegtoithegoods. and-partly because very long nails -mustbe-usediffthey'are to be clinched from the outside: lf,V on-the other hand, shorter, not penetrating nails are used and driven in from either side; the-bond will notrbe absolutely reliable; asin-this vcase it isnot possible to clinch the Halls:

It-is-an-objectof the present invention to obviateV-thesedrawbacks by making thesaid distanceblocksorbars into at least two portions, one'of which-being attached to at least one of theboards-'ofthe load table by means of nails clinched at vvthe lower side of the block so as to forman angular-or-LY-shaped section, while the otherblock or bar-portion is attached to a-n opposite board-of thefsupport-table by means of nails clinched at-the uppersidefof the-block so as to from'outside: By keeping the clinched nail endsv pressedja-gainst adjacent wooden block parts the strength.A offthefjoint-isfstill more increased;y It

shouldbe` noted that-in such pallets'for storage and-transport of goods by means of fork trucks it is'veryimportant to'retain-the nail securely sov that the-heads andclinched ends ofthe nails will not-gpro-trudefromthe surface of the loadtable, asthe goods mightotherwise easily be damaged.

Oneembodiment-'of VaY pallet'according to the invention is--illustratedby way of example in the accompanying'drawing, in which Figure 1 illustrates; a4 plan view'of the pallet,

Figure 2 is a plan view of a detail alongline` II-II of Figure 3,

Figure -3"is-an; end view'with certain parts ,sep

aratediv while section-onla-largerscaleand 21 Figure-6` isa cross section of part of Figure-l along line in Figure 1.

Accordingl to the embodiment -shownthe lpallet fcomprisesanumber ofie; g, three) crossbars I, on topv of which-are placedfboards 2 suitably spacedfromeach other. At the lower-face-of the bars I there'arevprovided,distance blocks 3-A or Vsupporting-bars,V for instanceat every second board, so that the parts I, 2, 3 right opposite each block 3 form a-'1like structure;v The parts I, 2 and 3 arel-joined together by nails 1, driven'into the boards-2 from-their upper facesv and extending through theboards'and the bars I as well as, through theblocks 3 and` clinched*` at` the lower surface Jas shown-in Figures 3 and 4;'

The lower `face' of the pallet comprises 'boards 5 similar` to Atheiboa-rdsfZu andnailed to' supporti ing blocks'lby-means ,offnails 8f soasto forma more-or less |.shaped'structure as willbeV seen by Figures; 3" and,5. The blocks 4' have substantially the same heightas the blocks 3'and have p referablyalso the same width and length as the latter.- Their width corresponds, forginstance, to half the width of the boards 2'or 5; The nails 8 are driven in from underneath the boards- 5 and extend through theseboards and throughthe blocks 3 and areclinchedfrom the top (Figures 3 and 5) After the 'l-shaped parts I 2;3 and the L]- shapedparts 4, 5, respectively, have beennailed together in said manner, they. are brought Atof gether, so that the side faces of the blocks 4 willrengage thesidefacesof theblocks 3,` an i the upper face of the/board5`will contact the lower face ofthe blocks 3, Ihaving the clinched ends ofthe nails Lwhile the clinchedends ofA the nails 8 will engage the lower face ofthe bars I. The whole unitisnw nailed together by transversal' nails; 9`which extend transversely through thiegblocks, 3 j and 4 as shOyVn inY Figure` 6; It is clearly seen vthat Y the clinchedf ends,A of the nails 'I' andl willthenbe totally coveredbythe joints between the parts; 5 and I 4 respectively.

Smallnails 6' may, if fdesiredL be `placed between the parts IvandZj.'H The clinched endsofjthese nails are; alsofcovered by the-abovefmentioned joints.

Inall nail joints glue maybe applied if desired,

The finished palletwill'consist ofgan upperload table formed Vby the Aboards 2; ,and "a lower support tablev comprising. thel boards, 5,Y These tables are securely fixed together andconstitute a rigid pallet withoutanygprojectinglnail ends; Theforl;

of the'n fork truck s'introducedfn the spaces.; l, betweenn the boardsi;

The arrangement'may'also` bel simplifiedV` by nailing the boards directly onto the blocks 3, but this imparts the drawback that the nails cannot be clinched from outside.

We claim:

1. In a pallet having opposite spaced surface portions, a joint connecting said surface portions, said joint comprising, in combination, a pair of blocks located between and each having their opposite ends respectively abutting against said surface portions of said pallet, each of said blocks have a side surface abutting against a side surface of the other block; a first nail extending through one of said surface portions and one of said blocks and having an end clinched over and located between said one of said blocks and the other of said surface portions; a second nail extending through the other of said surface portions and the other of said blocks and having an end clinched over and located between said other block and said one surface portion, said second nail being substantially parallel to said rst nail; and a third nail extending almost through said pair of blocks and being substantially perpendicular to said first and second nails, whereby said third nail is subject only to transverse shearing forces when said surface portions tend to pull apart from each other.

2. In a pallet having opposite spaced surface portions, a joint connecting said surface portions, said joint comprising, in combination, a first and second pair of blocks located between said surface portions of said pallet, said pairs of blocks being spaced from each other, and the blocks of each of said pairs of blocks each having opposite ends respectively abutting against said surface portions of said pallet, each pair of blocks having one of the blocks thereof abutting with a side surface thereof against a side surface of the other block, said abutting side surfaces of one of said pairs of blocks being located along a plane substantially parallel to the plane along which the abutting side surfaces cf the other pair of blocks are located, each of said blocks of said pairs of blocks being iixedly connected to a different one of said opposite surface portions, and the blocks of said pairs of blocks which are located on the same corresponding sides .of said planes being respectively connected to a different one of said opposite surface portions, whereby movement of said surface portions in one direction with respect to each other and transverse to said planes is resisted by one of said pairs of blocks, and whereby movement of said surface portions in the other direction with respect to each other and transverse to said planes is resisted by the other of said pairs of blocks.

3. In a pallet having opposite spaced surface portions, a joint connecting said surface portions, said joint comprising, in combination, a first and second pair of blocks located between said surface portions of said pallet, said pairs of blocks being spaced from each other, and the blocks of each of said pairs of blocks each having opposite ends respectively abutting against said surface portions of said pallet, each pair of blocks having one of the blocks thereof abutting with a side surface thereof against a side surface of the other block, said abutting side surfaces of one of said pairs of blocks being located along a plane substantially parallel to the plane along which the abutting side surfaces of the other pair of blocks are located, each of said blocks of said pairs of blocks being xedly connected to a different one of said opposite surface portions by a nail passing through said block and the surface portion to which it is connected and having a clinched over end located between said block and the surface portion to which it is not connected, and the blocks of said pairs of blocks which are located on the same corresponding sides of said planes being respectively connected to a different one of said opposite surface portions, whereby movement of said surface portions in one direction with respect to each other and transverse to said planes is resisted by one of said pairs of blocks, and whereby movement of said surface portions in the other direction with respect to each other and transverse to said planes is resisted by the other of said pairs of blocks, said blocks of each pair of blocks being connected to each other by a nail passing almost through said blocks and extending in a direction substantially parallel to said surface portions, whereby, when said surface portions tend to move away from each other, said last-mentioned nail is subject only to shearing forces.

4. A pallet comprising, in combination, a plurality of spaced substantially parallel top beams; a plurality of spaced substantially parallel cross beams abutting against only one side of said top beams and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto; a plurality of first blocks respectively arranged beneath some of the intersections of said top beams and said cross beams and abutting against said cross beams; a plurality of first nails each extending at one of said intersections through the top beam, cross beam and first block located at said intersection, said nail having its end clinched over and abutting against the under surface of said first block so as to rigidly connect said top beam, cross beam and first block together at said intersection; a plurality of bottom beams respectively arranged beneath said intersections, being substantially parallel to said top beams and abutting against said under surfaces of said first blocks so as to cover the clinched ends of said plurality of first nails; a plurality of second blocks located between and abutting against said cross beams and said bottom beams, each of said second blocks being respectively located beneath one of said intersections of said top beams and cross beams and abutting with a side surface thereof against a side surface of the first block located under the same intersection; a plurality of second nails each extending through one of said bottom beams and one of said second blocks and having its end clinched over and abutting against the upper surface of said second block so that said clinched end of said second nail is covered by a cross beam, said plurality of second nails being substantially parallel to said plurality of first nails; and a plurality of third nails each extending into a pair of abutting first and second blocks and being arranged perpendicularly to said plurality of first nails and said plurality of second nails, whereby said plurality of third nails are subject only to shearing forces when said bottom beams and second blocks tend to pull apart from said top beams, cross beams and first blocks, said pallet being free of any joining means other than said plurality of first nails, said plurality of second nails and said plurality of third nails.

5. In a pallet having opposite spaced surface portions, a joint connecting said surface portions, sald joint comprising, in combination, a first and second pair of blocks located between said surface portions of said pallet, said pairs of blocks being spaced from each other, and the blocks of each of said pairs of blocks each having opposite ends respectively abutting against said surface portions of said pallet, each pair of blocks having one of the blocks thereof abutting with a side surface thereof against a side surface of the other block, said abutting side surfaces of said pairs of blocks being located along a single plane, each of said blocks of said pairs of blocks being Xedly connected to a different one of said opposite surface portions, and the blocks of said pairs of blocks which are located on the same side of said single plane being respectively connected to a diierent one of said 1 opposite surface portions, whereby movement of said surface portions in one direction with re- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Cruickshank Feb. 24, 1948 Number 

